Family Bike Rides

Stephanie Chan August 19, 2016

Finally getting a bike for my birthday this year has changed everything! Family bike rides have filled many of our summer evenings, bringing more happiness than I could have imagined. The simple things. They are so good. One of the top things on my bucket list for this summer was to ride the dike to Centennial Beach. CHECK! It was easier and quicker than I had expected and we got to enjoy about an hour of warm shallow ocean water before heading back home again. We made our second attempt the other night but ended up detouring to a new little spot along the way. I'm so glad I brought my camera with me for this beautiful evening. These are evenings I definitely never want to forget.

Summer, you have gone by too too fast this year

Beach Evenings

Stephanie Chan July 18, 2016

i had posted this in my personal blog but decided these were too good not to share here as well. we are so lucky to live so close to the beach. it's so clean and quiet (at least during the week anyway throughout summer) and it's my favourite place to be all year round. i'm so grateful we were able to have a few family evenings here as i've been pounding out a lot of work and not able to spend as much time together as i would like. this was such a great day as it was the first time Malcolm experienced walking in the water on his own. it hasn't been warm enough until recently and this time last year he was only a mere 6 months old. to see him wander in right up to his chest and fall in love with the ocean was the heartmelting treat i needed. seeing him get right in there with his older siblings and watch as they both rush to his side to help him is definitely the greatest reward i could ask for! NO FIGHTING for one beautiful evening was all i needed.

for anyone interested in Booking one of these Beach Sessions, hit me up at my Contact page and we'll get you some beauties to frame and share!

ENJOY!

come as you are | charlene + emma

Stephanie Chan July 5, 2016

finally. getting caught up with a few drafts that have been waiting eagerly to be shared! with all the mom-friends from past and present booking these Come As You Are Sessions, it was a lovely surprise to have a family member call me in to capture her early motherhood days. i come from a big family, with six aunts/uncles on each side of my family. Char was one of the first of our generation and therefor was always looked up to, always harassed, and one whose lap was often occupied by a wiggly younger cousin with a bony-butt. She was always generous and kind to us and I feel like all that patience must have paid off now that she is a Mother. Capturing someone after a life-time of family get-togethers, through so many joyful births and heartbreaking losses took the meaning of this session to a new level for me. We can choose our friends, but we can't choose family, so I'm so grateful to have had such a caring, thoughtful and supportive cousin in my life and so happy to have been able to give back with these photos.

Congratulations on having the sweetest little girl!
You guys are doing a great job

xo

fête carnival | south park's spring fair

Stephanie Chan June 9, 2016

Had one last shoot to check off my list the evening before my Cali weekend getaway, the photobooth for the kids' Spring Fair! I can't take too much credit for the backdrop, I put it together, but all the elements were created and ordered and delivered thanks to the two organizers, Colleen + Lee-Ann! Enjoy a few select images from our successful fair!

good times

xo

come as you are | Joon + Callum

Stephanie Chan May 16, 2016

i just could not be happier about these sessions. i knew i would be providing something special for these mothers, but the impact it has had on me was unexpected. i could say that it's been an honour to photograph the most deserving moms, but the truth is that each one of us is so very deserving in our own way, each session serving as a reminder of the grace and love we are capable of providing for our children, especially on our worst days. we all have our story and our challenges that deserve reverence. no matter what our journey has been, what we lack, what we yearn for, these photos prove without a doubt that our daily toils are not in vain. there is beauty in the ordinary of the day to day.

i am so grateful to have Joon be part of these Come As You Are sessions. first of all, they are moving and it would be such a shame to not have some fond memories to take away from this beautiful home. second, and more importantly, the heartache and hell she has gone through for and with Callum deserves to be recognized and celebrated. it's been a long journey with health challenges many of us take for granted everyday. whether you were born to be a mother or not quite so confident in this new and terrifying role, we can all agree that the adjustment period is difficult enough without the universe throwing your 3.5 month baby a curveball in the form of a rare congenital liver disease. after his first surgery, Callum would suffer liver failure at 18 months and would require a transplant. nevermind the typical worries of whether or not you are capable of breastfeeding or going back to work in a year, suddenly having to worry if your baby is going to receive an organ in time (or at all) or survive the surgery puts everything else on the backburner.

today, you wouldn't be able to tell from the beams of sunshine radiating from his face, but 4 year old Callum has been one of the lucky ones to have received a successful liver transplant. he has gone from 14 medications a day down to just 1 with monthly bloodwork to monitor his new liver. you also wouldn't know Joon's heartbreaking struggle from her confident smile and dry humour, but you probably know now that you'd probably lose to her in a fight! these stories are a perfect reminder to be kind to all we meet because we don't always know each other's story and the struggles we've had.

i'm so happy i managed to get Joon to do this session! she was worried it might be too cheesy, as well as too vain, but that is neither my style nor the intention of these sessions! after the battles you two tiny warriors have fought through, your love, your courage and your perseverance absolutely deserves its spot in the limelight. you both are going to look back on these through the years and love me, HA!

Click Here to read more about Callum's story.
You might even recognize his sweet little face from on the back of Transit busses around the city encouraging all of us to become Organ Donors!

Enjoy!